Pat O'Connor

Grade

Draft Analysis:

Detroit brings in a worker bee base end in O'Connor to compete for a roster spot in camp. --Mark Dulgerian

6'5" Height

277LBS. Weight

Analysis

Strengths

Three-year starter who was named team captain twice. Productive upfield player with a nose for the ball. Forced seven fumbles over the last two seasons including five in 2016. Has a talent for the strip sack. Comes off the ball with solid upfield burst into his rush. Uses forward lean around the corner to generate momentum. Uses strong initial punch to set the edge against the run. Has upper body power to disengaged and attack running backs.

Weaknesses

Straight line attacker with below average lateral agility. May struggle with sudden changes of direction and necessary counters. Can be too upright at the top of his rush allowing tackles to redirect him beyond the rush arc. Pass rush needs refinement including his hand usage. Missed all of 2015 with a shoulder injury.

Bottom Line

Productive, three-year starter who has feasted on weaker offensive tackles with 28.5 tackles for loss over the last two seasons. O'Connor has adequate strength and an intriguing get-off as a rusher, but he still has plenty of work to do against the run and in supplementing his pass rush technique if he wants to make a team.
-Lance Zierlein